Teddy Bridgewater Signs with the New York Jets

According to reports from Chris Mortenson and Adam Schefter, free agent quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has agreed to a one-year deal with the New York Jets. The deal will become official following a physical and the opening of the NFL’s free agency period on Wednesday.

Former Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater plans to sign a one-year contract with the New York Jets when the new league year officially begins Wednesday, per @mortreport.

The 25-year-old is coming off a 2017 season that saw him take his first snaps in-game in almost two years. In the summer of 2016, Bridgewater suffered a horrific knee injury in practice that would rule him out for the entirety of the season. There was initially some fear that Bridgewater would never play football again due to the severity of the injury. Since being cleared for play, Bridgewater has only taken two snaps. One of his two snaps went for an interception, and he has not completed a pass since the 2015 season.

Bridgewater’s signing is a low-risk moved based on his potential. Before his knee injury, Bridgewater had accumulated over 6,000 passing yards and had a 28:21 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He showed improvement from his first season to his second, passing for 14 touchdowns both years, but reducing his interceptions in year two. He has a career completion percentage of 64.7 which is a very impressive mark. Bridgewater has also shown the ability to escape the pocket and make plays on the run. The NFL seems to be moving away from the traditional pocket passer, so if he can return to form despite the injured knee, Bridgewater fits the new prototype. He could become a solid starter for the Jets. If he does not, he can be a free agent again next year.

Vikings Career

The Vikings picked Bridgewater with the final pick of the first round in 2014 and he was widely expected to be in contention as the first overall selection. In his days at Louisville, Bridgewater was a perennial Heisman-hopeful. His final season at Louisville included a tremendous 31 touchdowns to only four interceptions. He was widely regarded as one of the most NFL-ready quarterbacks of his draft class. He showed that he was elite at the top tier of college football, and many expected that he could translate that talent quickly into the NFL. Based on what he showed over his first two seasons in the NFL, he should still garner plenty of interest in the current free agent market.